Different States of Mentalities
by inukagome15
Summary: Part 10 of the "It's All in the Mind" series. In which Tony bounces around the multiverse in hopes of finding his way back home. First up: 616. Tony just wants this Steve and Tony to talk, because there's a frigging war going on out there, and it's all over a piece of parchment.


**This was planned long ago because I wanted Tony to interfere with Civil War in the comics. I wasn't going to write it immediately, but I was prodded into doing so because of the angst-fest going on right now in the comics. So this is my way of alleviating some of that angst with an unabashed Civil War fix-it. I haven't read Civil War, but I know the basics (and the intricacies). I also haven't read much of the comics, so a lot of my characterization is scrapped from various 616 fics I've read, including those of missbecky's and the famous Resurrection, Reconstruction & Redemption epic that any Steve/Tony reader should read.**

**I should also mention that this is part of my "It's All in the Mind Series", which is a little over 200,000 words long counting all the stories in the series, and the Tony in it is a mutant.**

**Summary:** In which Tony bounces around the multiverse in hopes of finding his way back home. First up: 616. Tony just wants this Steve and Tony to talk, because there's a frigging war going on out there, and it's all over a piece of parchment.

* * *

**Different States of Mentalities**

**Chapter 1: 616**

* * *

"I'm gonna miss this place."

"So am I." Steve planted a kiss in Tony's hair. "But we can come back."

"That you can, Steven," Thor said, smiling at the two of them. "Asgard is open to any of the Avengers if they ever wish to come."

"Thanks, Thor," Tony said, grinning back. "We might just take you up on that."

"As the invitation was intended," Thor said, his smile turning mischievous. "I hope you have enjoyed your time here."

"It was exactly what we needed," Steve said sincerely. "Thanks again, Thor." He reached out with his free hand to clasp Thor's. "Do you know when we'll see you again?"

"As the Bifrost has been repaired, doubtlessly sooner than expected. But the Dark Elves have still been causing trouble in the realms, and my father wishes for me to take care of it." Thor shrugged. "I know not how long it will take. But if you have need of my aid, I will come. Simply call for Heimdall and he will hear."

Tony couldn't help a smirk. "Next time I get stranded somewhere unknown, I'll do that."

Steve tightened his grip on Tony. "Let's hope it _doesn't_ happen again."

"I don't want it to either. But best to be prepared." Tony smiled charmingly up at him and reached down to squeeze his hand, thumb lingering over the ring he'd made Steve here.

Steve rolled his eyes, although his lips twitched. "I know what you're trying to do."

"Is it working?"

"Maybe." Steve did consent to a kiss, leaning into it for a moment before withdrawing and facing a visibly amused Thor. "We're ready."

"Very well." Thor bowed his head and then stepped back, looking up at Heimdall. "When you are ready, Heimdall."

Tony had to admit he was excited about this. The last time he'd traveled via the Bifrost he'd been out cold, but this time he could take in the experience and relish it.

Steve held the bags they'd gotten here in Asgard. They were filled with souvenirs they'd collected for their friends. Tony didn't really have anything to hold onto aside from Steve, not that he minded.

Rainbow light filled the area, and Tony felt the technology hum loudly in the back of his mind. He looked into the light curiously, mouth dry as he caught sight of what looked like a tunnel of light. He couldn't see the destination, and the light swallowed him and Steve up before he could try.

The humming peaked in Tony's head, and he pressed a hand to his temple, trying to drown it out by focusing on the light speeding past them. It didn't really work, but at least he managed to push it back some, although it soon began to feel like his skull was going to vibrate out of his head.

There was a sharp sensation in his chest, almost like a shock. Tony clutched it, fingers digging into the skin around his energy source. For a moment he thought he might have imagined it, but then it happened again.

And then: **Analyzing technology…**

Tony flinched as Extremis whirred into activity in his brain. After so long of doing virtually nothing with it, it felt ridiculously loud. And it wouldn't stop despite his best efforts at ordering it to.

His chest shocked him again, and then there was warmth tingling through him, energy coursing through his limbs and setting him on fire. He jerked away from Steve's grasp, stumbling several steps away from Steve despite the other's protestations.

"Tony!" Steve reached out for him, but Tony waved him off, nearly keeling over as he clutched his chest tightly.

The warmth was unbearable, and Tony needed it to stop. It was too much energy, far too much energy coursing through him, and he needed. To. Make. It. _Stop_.

And then he was yanked off the stable platform he'd been standing on, feeling something whip past him. It was the same sensation as before when the Bifrost had first activated, but now it was far too close to his own skin. And it was far too bright, far too loud, and Tony really needed it to stop or he'd claw his skin off.

He landed on something hard, jolting his knees and sending shooting pains through his legs. His body was tingling with the aftereffects of whatever had happened, and Tony was having trouble feeling his fingers.

He opened his eyes, found his vision to be far blurrier than he'd like, and then tried to clear it by rubbing his eyes.

For some reason, this ended up with him collapsing into a sorry pile on whatever he'd landed on. Something that was hard enough that his elbow started hurting as well.

Where the hell was Steve? He'd been right there with Tony.

Where—

* * *

When Tony next felt his limbs to be in working order, he realized that he'd passed out. He'd passed out, and now he was lying on something far softer than the surface he'd passed out on. He could also feel his limbs and that tingling sensation was gone, so that was a bonus.

But he also had no idea what had just happened. The Bifrost was supposed to be one of the safest mechanisms of traveling there was. That – whatever it was – shouldn't have happened.

But it did, and Tony needed to figure out what it had been and fix it. He also needed to figure out where he was.

He kept his eyes close, just taking a breath and focusing on his hearing. He could sense some technology inside the same room with him, although he couldn't say what it was beyond a guess that it was a communications device and something else that felt like JARVIS but not quite.

"Why the hell did you bring him in?" a man's voice demanded. "You've endangered us all!"

"I don't think this is the same one," another one said. "He has this strange energy about him."

"Yeah, so maybe he's a clone." The words were sarcastic. "What were you thinking, Cap? You should've just left him out there!"

"I couldn't," another, very familiar voice said quietly.

Tony opened his eyes just as the first voice snapped, "Why _not_?"

He breathed out a relieved "Steve," only to be brought up short when he realized that he didn't recognize two of the people sitting in the room. One was a red and green guy with a red cloak who was actually some sort of robot or android judging from the humming Tony was sensing from him. The other was a powerfully built black man with a white shirt that hugged every muscle and left nothing to the imagination. And the third…

The third was Steve.

But a Steve with a uniform that Tony hadn't seen before. It was made out of some sort of chainmail, and on the sides of his hood were actual wings instead of the painted ones Steve had. He looked far grimmer than Tony had ever seen him, and he did not seem pleased to see that Tony was awake.

Tony slowly sat up, drawing himself up against the wall, the blankets bunching up around his knees. He swallowed lightly, reached up almost unconsciously to check that his ring was still around his neck where it should be, and then he smoothed down the shirt he'd gotten in Asgard. He was thankful for once that the fabric was dark and thick enough that no light shown through.

"You're awake," Steve said finally, his voice emotionless.

"Yeah." Tony curled his fingers in the blankets, letting the soft fabric soothe him. "Thanks for taking me in."

The android guy looked hard at him. "His eyes are brown," he observed. "This isn't a clone."

The other guy grunted skeptically, glowering in distaste at Tony. "Could still be a fake to root us out." He turned his glower on Steve. "_Why_ did you bring him in?"

Steve didn't respond. "Who are you?" he asked Tony.

"I'm Tony Stark," Tony answered, keeping his tone confident. "But probably not your Tony Stark."

"Why do you say that?" Steve's voice was even.

"I was on the Bifrost," Tony said, "with my Steve. Something happened, and I ended up passing out wherever you picked me up." He picked at a loose thread. "Our Richards deals with the multiverse occasionally, and I know there's not another Steve Rogers where I'm from, and I don't know who you are"—he nodded to the two strangers—"so that means I'm not where I should be."

He paused for a moment, then rested his head against the wall. "And I want to go home. Was Jotunheim not enough?"

Steve blinked, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "I don't know about sending you home," he said eventually. "I'd usually send you to Richards, but there's a slight issue with that."

Tony frowned slightly on hearing Steve address Richards so formally. His Steve was quite familiar with Richards and had resigned himself to Tony's rather antagonistic relationship with him. "What is it?"

Steve didn't quite meet his eyes, but stood, turning to leave the room. "It's a war," he said finally, not quite turning his head to speak over his shoulder. "And your other self is on the enemy's side."

With those foreboding words, Steve left the room.

Tony stared uncomprehendingly at the door. What?

Determined to get answers, he turned to the two remaining people in the room. "What's going on out there?" he demanded.

The black guy sniffed and sat back, arms folded imperiously across his chest. The android seemed to consider the question.

"There's a bill being considered in the government," the being said eventually. "The Captain and your other self have conflicting ideologies as to what's right."

"It's a fucking civil war," the other man snapped, glaring. "And _you're_ responsible for it," he spat at Tony. "So I don't care what you're saying about being from an alternative universe, I don't trust you. And as long as you're here, you're going to be watched."

Stunned, all Tony could do was blink.

What…the hell?

* * *

He wanted to go back home. Tony really, _really_ wanted to go back home. This hadn't been in the plans when he and Steve had finally left Asgard. But then again, when did anything follow a plan?

Now he was stuck in an alternate universe where there was a full on _civil war involving superheroes_ and no one was _talking_. It was his worst nightmares come true with SHRA, and it was all over a frigging piece of parchment. (Figuratively, speaking.)

He could still so clearly remember Richards telling him about that alternate universe with he and Steve on opposite sides of a war and the end result of that war being Steve's death. He could remember that almost happening in his universe, but he'd gotten shot instead.

And now he was in a universe like that one. One where he was in a house filled with volatile superheroes that eyed him mistrustfully even though he'd already established that he wasn't _their_ Tony. It didn't stop the black guy built like a powerhouse from glaring at Tony whenever he walked into a room. It didn't stop the android guy in red and green from watching him suspiciously from the shadows (it was hard to be covert when the guy you were spying on could literally sense technology).

And it didn't stop this Steve from brushing him off whenever Tony tried to talk to him. And Tony did. Want to talk.

He needed to get this sorted out. He needed to figure out what the hell had gone wrong here because this shouldn't have happened. His engagement ring was a heavy weight around his neck, and Tony reached up to clutch it in his hand, closing his eyes and breathing.

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark should not be on opposite sides of a war. It was why it had gotten to this point.

And Tony needed to get the two of them to sit down and talk. But this alternate Tony was out of his reach in S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government, and Steve could barely look him in the eye (pain and guilt evident in his body).

Tony could guess why. He'd already used Extremis to look into various media around the fight. He'd seen photos of Captain America and Iron Man meeting in the streets, superheroes lined up behind each of them. He'd seen them shaking hands, and then seen what Steve had done.

Tony could extrapolate from the pictures, but he didn't trust the media. He needed to get the news from the source. And who cared if Steve was ignoring him?

Tony wasn't Tony for nothing. And he could figure this out before he finagled a way to get back home (it involved Reed Richards much to his mild displeasure). It was a different universe, so Tony didn't think that asking Heimdall how to get home would work here. So Richards it was.

But he wasn't going to leave it like this.

He wasn't going to let Steve die because he couldn't talk to his Tony.

So Tony tucked his ring back under his shirt and left his room, determined to track down Steve.

He ignored the way the other superheroes skittered around him uncertainly, fixed on the communicator that he'd sensed on Steve's body from the first day he'd woken up in this house after Steve had brought him in (because he'd looked like a dying cat according to one Peter Parker in an offhanded comment to a superheroine dressed like a spider). It was in the library, and Tony wasn't at all surprised to find the android and the guy built like a powerhouse (Vision and Luke?) in there.

Steve's eyes widened on seeing Tony enter the room, and he got up from his chair as if to leave the room.

"Stay," Tony said bluntly, closing the door and standing in front of it with his arms crossed. "You and I need to talk."

Steve tightened his lips briefly, eyes hard. "We should do this alone."

"So you can worm your way out of it again? No. We're doing it now. They can stay."

Tony heard some shuffling from outside the door, sensing a few other communicators join the spree.

"What do you want?" Steve asked.

"I want to know what's going on," Tony said. "There's a war going on out there, and no one's told me what the hell you guys are thinking."

"I told you already. This isn't your fight."

"Isn't it?" Tony rapped his fingers against his arm. "It's about the SHRA. I know that much. What I want to know," he continued before Steve could say anything, "is just what the _hell_ you're playing at here. Both of you. The government's biting at your heels, and you're at each other's throats? Who's brilliant idea was _that_?"

Luke stirred, mouth opening, but he shut it upon the look Steve gave him.

"It was Stark's," Steve said, returning his gaze to Tony. The use of Tony's last name made his chest hurt, never mind that it wasn't even him Steve was talking about.

"No." The word was harsh. "There are two sides to a war. You're just as culpable as he is. So it's up to one of you to take the first step and play nice. I read about that little meet-up the two of you had. But since the paper's the paper, I wasn't going to take it at face value. So I want you to tell me the truth. Why did you short out his armor?"

Steve crossed his arms against his chest, face hard. "It was an ambush," he said shortly. "He said he wanted to talk."

"So your answer to that was shutting off his armor? Instead of – I don't know – _talking_?"

"He was going to take us in," Luke burst out, standing in one explosive movement.

"Did he say that?"

"He didn't listen," Steve said.

"I didn't ask about that," Tony bit out. "Did. He. Say. That. Explicitly?"

Steve's jaw visibly tightened. "No." The word was clipped.

Tony kept his face still through an effort of will, only opting for tilting his head slightly. "So you just decided to shut his armor off for kicks?"

Steve curtly shook his head. "You don't understand."

"Then _make_ me." Tony raised his eyebrows, giving him a distinctly unimpressed look. "All I'm hearing are empty excuses. You've given me nothing to impress me with your _lauded_ decisions."

"You want to understand?" Steve asked quietly, eyes dropping. He closed them momentarily, taking a breath. "Then I'll tell you. SHRA is a bill passed by the government to force superhumans to register like criminals. To give up their secret identities and come into the public. They'll be forced into 'schools' to train their abilities. What's not on the paper is that the government will have their own private superhuman army.

"And Stark supports it." Steve's hands clenched into fists curled on his arms. "He's _compromising_." The word was a sneer, evidently something the Tony from here had told him. "But there can't be any compromising with this. It's _wrong_."

Tony kept his voice carefully even as he said, carefully, "None at all? Not even to…repeal it?"

"That's what we're _doing_."

"From here, it looks like you're throwing the equivalent of a giant tantrum and smashing things because you're not getting your way. And last I checked, you're not three."

Steve barked out a harsh laugh. "I should've known you wouldn't understand. You're a version of him; of course you'd think the same." His eyes flicked over Tony's still form. "At least you don't have Extremis."

Tony stiffened. "Extremis?" He kept his voice blank out of sheer force of will.

Steve's lips tightened, and he looked off to the side, jaw visibly tense.

"It's a nano-tech virus that rewrites the body to a different hardware," Vision said. "It tells the brain to rewrite the body."

"It makes you a computer," Steve said curtly. "And that's what he did to himself."

Tony couldn't imagine doing that to himself on purpose in any universe, although he could be wrong. "Did he have a choice?"

The reply was bitter. "He always has a choice."

Tony barely stopped himself from screaming; he bit his tongue, almost to the point of drawing blood. "So he should've died."

That had Steve's eyes snapping to his. "What?"

Tony gave him a bitter smile. "So instead of turning himself into a computer, he should have died. Is that what you're suggesting? Because I can't picture myself doing it any other way." He shook his head. "That's not the point. You two have been friends for how many decades? And now you're at each other's throats because of a fucking _piece of paper_?" His voice rose to a shout. "What the _hell_ is your problem with _compromising_?"

"There is no compromising with something like this," Steve snarled, marching right into Tony's space. "You give an inch, they'll take a mile. You take a stand, and they have no choice but to see you there. They have no choice but to stop."

"Or they'll blow you up," Tony said emotionlessly.

"Is that what you'd do?" Steve demanded. "Blow us up for not listening?"

Tony blinked. "You're making it really hard for me not to punch you right now. What did you just do to my self here? You _shut off his armor_. Because _you_ weren't willing to listen!"

"He didn't listen!" Steve shouted. "He went behind our backs and worked with _them_!"

"_They're the government_. Are you _seriously_ trying to sell me the spiel that you're going to go _against the interests of the people_ because _you_ have a moral issue with what's going on? If you have an issue with it, then_ work with the system_!"

"Working with the system's what got us here!" Steve growled. "They're not willing to listen to us!"

"Because you're acting like a bunch of lunatics willing to set fire to the goddamn Capitol because no one will listen to your whines! Get off your moral high horse and _talk_!"

Steve didn't respond immediately, chest heaving. His cheeks were flushed in anger, and his eyes narrowed. "So we can compromise our values to sink to theirs? There's no compromising with this."

Tony saw red. "You self-righteous sanctimonious _prick_." And then he punched him right in the face.

He didn't hold back his strength, using every bit that Extremis gave him, and Steve went down hard, a sickening crunch sounding as his nose broke.

"Cap!" Luke and Vision leapt to their feet, about to apprehend Tony, but they were pinned back to the wall a second later. Tony forced the door shut as well after hearing a small commotion outside.

He kept his hand up, holding Luke and Vision in place as he looked down at a bloody-nosed Steve Rogers. "You could've worked together," Tony said. "Figured out a compromise that meets the government halfway and actually appeases the people and also takes care of most of the superhuman population for people like Spider-Man when they were first starting out and could've used the help. Something like – I don't know – an organization like the UN that would take into account both humans, superhumans, and mutants and make sure everyone's best interests are met. You could've done that. Or, alternatively, you could start a civil war that divides the superhuman community and gives the government every single reason they ever had for even pushing this damn thing through on a silver platter. But, you know, it's your choice.

"And as the leader of the side opposing the government, I think that's a pretty big one." Tony met his eyes with a hard stare, ignoring the faint struggles coming from Luke and Vision. "Don't you?"

Steve got to his feet, eyes flicking between the two people on the wall and Tony. "What?"

"We had it back in my universe," Tony continued, keeping his voice pitched loud enough so the eavesdroppers in the hall could hear him. "SHRA. It was partly my fault that it started moving through the government, what with them finding out I'm a mutant and all"—there was dead silence in the hallway—"but I did my damn best to stop it. But we couldn't. So Steve and I, we compromised. We sat down with Richards and hashed out an alternative plan while Fury brought the case to the Supreme Court. Because in this case, there was no stopping it. It would've happened again, and we needed to stop it and bring something to the table that would fix it.

"We compromised," Tony repeated. "And it worked. But you two have made such a mess here that it's going to take something big for it to work. And that means you need to stop acting like an overwrought toddler and actually talk."

Steve looked down at the floor, hands clenched into fists at his sides. Tony let Luke and Vision slide down, releasing his grip on them. He kept the door shut, not wanting more people in here.

Finally, after a long pause that by Tony's Extremis was around seven minutes, Steve breathed out a soft, "I can't."

Tony chanced taking a step closer. "Is this about some stupid pride thing? Because it's not worth it. Don't throw away your relationship because of _pride_."

Steve's chuckle was broken. "Imagine that. Tony Stark telling me not to be prideful."

"I'm allowed to be hypocritical," Tony said. "I've swallowed my pride for a lot of things, but you, Steve Rogers, will never be something I regret. And I would bet my suit that your Tony feels the same way. He's already tried to reach out to you. It's your turn now."

Steve took a breath, looking up to meet Tony's eyes. "It's not about pride. There's no way he'd listen to me."

"Did you not hear me say I'd bet my suit? He'll listen to you."

"Cap, you're not _listening_ to him, are you?" Luke asked disbelievingly.

Steve didn't answer, but he did pull out his communicator.

Tony allowed himself a sigh of relief and slumped just slightly, feeling the warm weight of his ring nestled against his skin.

He hoped this worked.

* * *

It was only several hours after Steve placed the call that the Tony native to this universe showed up at the prearranged meeting place. Steve had suggested a meeting the next day, but for whatever reason (a reason Tony knew full well why), this Tony had opted for the quickest possible meeting time.

And although Tony thought it best that the two talk it out alone, Steve insisted he come along.

"Because I don't know if I can hold back," Steve said, not meeting his eyes.

Tony's mouth had gone dry at the insinuation, but he nodded once, swallowing. "I'm gonna stay back," he said. "I won't talk."

Now Steve looked at him with faint suspicion. "Why?"

"He needs to hear it from you, not me. Trust me on that." If Tony knew anyone well, it was himself. Even if it was a him from another universe.

It was just the two of them who left for the mansion, the other superheroes milling in the background as they left. Tony could feel their stares boring in his back, but he didn't care. They needed to think for themselves, not take someone else's words at face value. And from what he could tell, no one had thought this through. No one except for his other self, and he'd gone and done the wrong thing.

Why hadn't they talked from the beginning? Or had this Tony tried and been shot down? But why, after decades of friendship, couldn't they see it through?

Tony had barely known his Steve for three years, and they'd weathered the storm. Was it because they were in a relationship? The other universe Richards had pointed out had had a female Tony who'd gotten married to Steve, and they hadn't had this mess.

But he kept his mouth shut and let Steve lead him through the back streets until they reached the mansion. Upon seeing the wreck it was, Tony had to bite down on his lip to keep back his startled cry.

Yet somehow Steve sensed it, and he looked back at Tony with a wry twist of his lips. "It happened only a short while ago. Problems with having volatile superheroes under one roof."

"You don't say," Tony managed, squeezing through the broken gate after Steve.

They ended up in the main area of the mansion, rubble all around them. Tony's breath caught in his throat when he saw the picture hanging on the wall of the Avengers, but a much larger group of Avengers than he had in his universe. In the middle were Captain America and Iron Man, standing so closely together that Tony ached to reach out to his own Steve and draw comfort from his presence.

Pulling himself together, Tony gave Steve a nod and moved further back, keeping just in sight so no one would think he was trying to ambush anyone.

It didn't take long before Tony sensed the hum of the suit. It felt different from his own, although Tony couldn't pinpoint why. It even looked different, carrying the familiar red and gold colors of Tony's first suits rather than the one he had now.

This Tony drew to a stop several feet away from Steve, nervousness in every inch of his bearing.

They didn't speak for several long minutes, just staring at each other.

It was Steve who finally made the first move, slinging his shield off his back and placing it carefully against a wall. Then, reaching up, he pulled his hood off, revealing messy blond hair. There was no trace of the broken nose Tony had given him yesterday (which he didn't feel guilty about it because the guy had deserved it).

"Can you take your mask off?" Steve asked quietly. "I'd like to talk to you face to face."

There was a barely noticeable hesitation from the other Tony, but then he reached up, unlatched the helmet, and took it off.

He looked exhausted. Exhausted and in no condition to be doing anything close to what he was doing right now. He had a rather messy goatee, the angles not as sharp as Tony usually liked to keep them. And his eyes were blue with pale shadows under them.

They darted past Steve and to where Tony was standing, widening slightly. "Who…?" His voice was hoarse.

"He dropped in from another universe," Steve said. "I just…" He took a breath. "We need to talk, Tony."

"And him?" The other Tony pointed at Tony.

"Just pretend I'm not here," Tony said, giving a small smile. He put his hands up. "I'm just here for backup for both of you."

The other Tony looked vaguely perplexed, opening his mouth to talk before Steve interrupted with a pleading, "Tony."

That stopped the other Tony, and he turned his gaze back to Steve, tilting his head to the side. "I thought you were done talking." He sounded like he was trying to force amusement into his tone, but he failed rather miserably.

Steve winced. "I'm sorry. I know…that was a mistake. Please. Are you willing to listen?"

"I've been listening, Steve." These words were accusing.

"I'm willing to now," Steve said. "I don't want to fight."

The other Tony sighed, the armor disassembling off him and into pieces next to Steve's shield. He stood there virtually naked except for a golden undersuit that covered him from head to foot, _including_ his feet much to Tony's jealousy (he still hadn't fixed that problem with his).

"I never wanted to fight, Steve," the other Tony said wearily. "But you forced my hand."

"I'm sorry," Steve said, the words agonized. "I'm sorry I did. But I'm willing to listen. I- I want to work with you on this."

There was something extraordinarily painful about seeing hope crawl into the other Tony's eyes. "Really?"

"Yes," Steve answered firmly. "But first…can you tell me what you were thinking?"

"Can I…?" The other Tony shook his head once, twice, and then reached up to pull down the hood of his undersuit, running a hand through black hair. "Yes," he said almost eagerly. "I can."

"You didn't support it first," Steve said quietly. "So why…?" _Why change your mind?_

"It's a flawed bill," the other Tony said. "But what they were proposing otherwise was so much worse. And I couldn't let that happen. They – they were going to _experiment_ on you. Experiment on _Peter_. I needed to stop it, and the only way to do so was to support SHRA and control the effects from the inside. It's what we've been doing from the beginning." He stopped there, fidgeting.

"Why not stop the bill from passing altogether?" Steve prompted, voice gentle.

The other Tony seemed utterly relieved at Steve's continuing willingness to listen. "Because it'll happen again. It's what this has been working towards, Steve. The people are frightened of us, and we need someone to hold us accountable. We need someone to tell us when we go too far. At its best, this bill would've done that." He looked down. "But that's not the case."

Steve took a careful step forward, hands twitching at his sides. "Why didn't you come to me with this, Tony?"

"You wouldn't have listened."

"I'm listening now."

The other Tony's lips twisted into a painful grin. "You didn't at first." The words were so quiet that Tony almost couldn't make them out.

"I'm sorry," Steve repeated, and he took another step. "But I am now."

"Yeah." The word was quietly wondering. "You are."

"So why, Tony?" Steve pressed.

"Because…" The other Tony closed his eyes. "I didn't want to bring you down to my level."

"Wasn't that my choice?" Steve asked quietly. "It's my choice whether I choose to stand by you. You took that from me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't do it again," Steve said. "Don't make decisions for me without asking me. I'm not perfect, Tony. I brought myself down because I started this without listening to you. Because you tried. And I wasn't willing to listen."

"I knew you wouldn't," the other Tony said. "I knew from the start you wouldn't."

"We're not numbers, Tony," Steve said. "You can't predict to a t what we'll do and how we'll react. Maybe there'll be another variable." He took another step forward until he was so close that all he had to do was reach out and he had the other Tony in his grasp. "And maybe this variable will tell me that I've been a self-righteous sanctimonious prick who shouldn't be leading."

Tony hadn't said that. The first part, yes. But not the rest. Although it had been implied.

"And maybe," Steve continued in a low tone, "I'll realize that I've been behaving like a self-righteous ass who shouldn't have turned his back on his best friend. And you shouldn't have let me."

The other Tony was shaking slightly, looking down at his feet. "I couldn't let you do what I've done – what I'm doing."

"You shouldn't have done it alone." Steve reached out, wrapped his arms around his friend, and pulled him into a hug. "You shouldn't have let yourself be alone," he murmured, pressing his cheek into the other Tony's hair. "We're a team, Tony. And teams help each other out. Will you let me do that?"

The other Tony didn't respond. But he did lean very slowly into Steve's embrace. And it wasn't long before the slight shakes dialed up to full-body tremors, and then he was crying in Steve's chest, face buried in the chainmail.

Taking a moment longer to study the two of them, Tony gave a small smile and slipped out the back, giving them some much needed privacy. He felt like a creep from listening in on that intensely private conversation. And he didn't see why Steve needed him to do so, since he hadn't been anywhere near engaging in a brawl with the other Tony.

Once outside, he took a seat on a step, taking his ring out of the shirt and playing with it. The metal felt warm in his fingers, and if he closed his eyes he could almost pretend that the wind playing across his hair was Steve breathing. But it was just a bit too cold, and Tony was too weary to continue to pretend.

He heard them approach him from behind about half an hour later. The burst of humming from inside the mansion only two minutes earlier had forewarned him, although he didn't bother putting the ring back inside his shirt.

"Is there a reason you're dressed for a Renaissance fair?" the other Tony asked.

"I was in Asgard," Tony answered, looking back at him. "Didn't have a whole lot of options up there."

Steve saw the ring. "What's that?"

"This?" Tony displayed it for a second before tucking it back under his shirt, standing as he did. "I'm engaged. And I'd like to get back to my fiancé now. I'm pretty sure he's worried about me."

Only Steve looked surprised at the pronoun. The other Tony seemed rather jealous.

"Who's the lucky guy?" the other one asked.

"I don't know if I'd call him lucky considering it's me, but he'd probably scold me for saying that." Tony grinned wryly. "It's Steve."

Both of them froze in surprise.

"What?" the other Tony asked, sounding stunned.

"My Steve," Tony repeated, rather enjoying this. "We're engaged. I tried to get him to agree to a shotgun wedding on Asgard and actually wrangled something, but he said it won't count on Earth, so we're doing another one."

Steve cleared his throat. "Congratulations."

Tony smiled, nodded in thanks, and glanced at the other Tony, who was looking down at his feet. He was obviously envious, and for something Tony could clearly understand. He'd read the longing in his body language throughout the entire conversation. He only hoped that they could figure this out.

"We can get you to Reed," the other Tony said eventually, meeting Tony's eyes. His blue ones looked happier now than they had before. "He can help you get back home."

"Oh, thank God." Tony couldn't stop the relief from seeping through the words. "When?"

"Now's good." The other Tony smiled at Steve. "I think it's a good time as any to show that the two sides are becoming one."

Tony didn't say "thank God" again, but it was pretty damn close.

* * *

Reed Richards's address was the same it was back in Tony's home universe. He was also pretty surprised but thankful to see the other Tony and Steve working together civilly. He ecstatic upon seeing Tony standing there because this was the first time an alternate self had come through who wasn't evil.

Upon which both the other Tony and Steve looked shifty and refused to answer any questions.

So while Tony answered the questions Richards had about his home universe, Richards darted around and calibrated machines to figure out how to send Tony back, keeping his head close to Tony but stretching out the rest of his limbs to fiddle with the machines. Tony hoped he knew what he was doing.

And then since the machines were picking up a strange energy signature from Tony, he had him strip. Tony did so reluctantly, willing his face blank as the energy source in his chest drew stares from everyone.

"What is that?" Steve asked.

"It used to be an arc reactor," Tony answered slowly, warily watching Richards attach various sensors to it. "But then Extremis happened."

"You have it, too?" the other Tony asked curiously.

"Not willingly." Tony refused to elaborate anymore.

"Is there anything in particular about this I should know?" Richards asked.

It was when Richards heard the explanation about vibranium and the Bifrost that his eyes lit up and he seemed to have a way to get Tony back home.

"I can calibrate it so that it seeks out the match," he explained quickly, his head and arms stretched out in three different directions.

"But no rush," Tony assured him, not wanting something to go wrong and end up with him underwater on a planet with no oxygen.

As they waited for Richards to pull it all together, Tony found himself just standing there looking pretty while the other two occasionally murmured things to each other (Tony pretended they were sweet nothings).

Eventually tired of just standing there, Tony went and inspected some of Richards's inactive machines. They were either rather large or rather small, and Tony was never quite sure what they were for other than the small guesses he could make.

He also occasionally threw glances to Steve and the other Tony, heart panging as he read the palpable longing and desire in Tony. He could see a similar desire in Steve, but he wasn't so familiar with this Steve's mannerisms that he was completely certain about it. But he was certain enough that he wasn't going to leave without saying something.

So he meandered over to them, giving Steve a look. "I need to talk to you," he said.

Steve nodded, gave the other Tony a reassuring look, and then followed Tony to the other side of the room.

"Thank you," Steve said before Tony could say anything.

"It's fine," Tony responded before he could think. "Really, I'm glad it worked out. But I've got one other thing to say." He took a breath and nodded to the other Tony. "Just tell him, okay?"

Steve's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Tell him everything. Trust me when I say it's returned."

Steve's ears turned slightly pink. "It's not the right time."

"There's not going to _be_ a right time. My Steve practically confessed in a hospital room. He then proposed in a different hospital room after I was shot." Steve looked vaguely disturbed at that. "The right time's what you make of it," Tony continued softly. "I think he needs to hear it, and so do you."

Steve looked over his shoulder at the other Tony, who was looking over Richards's shoulder.

"It's been so long," Steve whispered, looking down at his hands. "I thought it wouldn't come to anything. And when he turned his back on us…I was so _angry_." His mouth twisted. "You're right. I need to tell him. He deserves to know."

"I can leave satisfied knowing I helped get a version of me and Steve together," Tony said, pleased.

Steve snorted. "Only you." His tone was fond.

"I'd say only me, but there are two of me right now so it wouldn't be quite true." Tony smirked and reached out to pat him on the arm. "I'd say sorry about the nose, but I'm not really."

"No, I deserved that." Steve fingered said nose. "I'm going to keep an eye on that," he promised.

"Sometimes you need to compromise," Tony said. "Remember that."

"I will," Steve promised. "I will."

Tony looked him in the eyes. "Good."

"We're ready here," Richards announced.

"That's my cue," Tony said, smiling at Steve.

As he walked over to Richards, Tony gave his other self a warm smile. Then he stood on the platform indicated by Richards.

"It'll be painless," Richards promised. "And quick. You'll be back in no time. And thank you."

"Thank _you_," Tony sighed. "Because you're saving my ass here."

There was a flicker of light at his feet and a rise in the humming, and Tony saw Steve take hold of the other Tony's hand and link their fingers together. The other Tony stared at him, stunned disbelief written all over his face, but Steve simply gave him a soft, warm smile that was as bright as the sun.

As the humming sound peaked and the light became almost unbearably bright, Tony felt the brush of another Extremis against his own and the whisper of soft words. **_Thank you._**

Then he was gone.

* * *

**Did you like it? Please let me know what you thought. I hope you enjoyed it. :)**

**Next up (possibly): **Marvel Adventures


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